Generating Capacities and Scaling Solutions from the Heart of UNDP

30 de Diciembre de 2024
a group of people posing for the camera

 

By: Juan David Martin – Accelerator Lab, Colombia

Launched in August 2019, the Accelerator Lab (AccLab) of UNDP in Colombia has established itself as a strategic innovation team, working closely with the Representation and the programmatic teams at the country office. As part of the Global Network of Labs (90 labs in 115 countries), we integrate a global vision of innovation, methodologies, and tools, adapting them to the Colombian context to lead the design of the strategic portfolio vision, implement people-centered experiments, and develop scalable prototypes. Our constant goal is to innovate in project design and address development challenges.

The Accelerator Labs contributes to global organizational transformation as an integral part of the #NextGenUNDP/#FutureSmartUNDP initiatives, generating significant local and global impact. Our work goes beyond incorporating tools and methodologies; we seek a change in mindset, generating innovative capabilities and skills in work teams. To achieve this, we have explored new knowledge through various tools and technologies, fostering experimentation and adaptation to local needs, creating training programs and communities of practice.

 

From Crisis to Innovation, collective Intelligence for Resilient Responses

The rapid and innovative response capacity of the Accelerator Lab in Colombia was demonstrated in two situations: the arrival of COVID-19 and Hurricane Iota in Providencia Island. In both cases, the response was based on collective intelligence and multidisciplinary collaboration, demonstrating the importance of knowledge and technology transfer to generate innovative, scalable, and high-impact solutions.

COVID-19 pandemic drove the AccLab to develop an innovative solution to protect the population: "Life Helmet” (Casco de Vida). In less than a week, through collaboration with allies and a collective intelligence process, a prototype for a protective mask was designed and created. This achievement, a result of the joint work and creativity of the AccLab, is an example of its effective response capacity to a critical need.

The second case was after Hurricane Iota passed through the Caribbean Island of Providencia. The AccLab worked together with the crisis team to implement a damage assessment of homes and buildings, innovating by using drones and 360° cameras. The speed and efficiency of this assessment enabled experts and organizations to be "present" in Providencia without being physically there. The use of technology was crucial for resource mobilization and designing a recovery portfolio. Following the successful incorporation of drones and photogrammetry in the emergency response to Hurricane Iota on Providencia Island.

 

a group of people that are standing in the grass

 

Going Beyond Prototypes to Scale Capacities

The AccLab, with its focus on experimentation and prototyping (“leadership through example”), achieved a significant impact in Providencia using drones and photogrammetry to assess damages. This success demonstrated the potential of technology and motivated other teams to use drones in their projects. To scale this learning, the AccLab designed and implemented the "Drones for Development" program, training and certifying 70 colleagues (selected from over 150 applicants) in two cohorts. This program, developed in partnership with a certified academy and DroneDeploy, not only expanded the office's capabilities but also demonstrated the value of knowledge and technology transfer to promote innovation.

This first prototype course opened a new line of work for the AccLab, aiming to systematically and sustainably incorporate new knowledge and skills in the country office. New courses were designed, not only in drones but also to strengthen capacities in various strategic areas:

  • Digital Fitness Program (with the Chief Digital Office of UNDP, 55 participants – two cohorts)

  • Blended Finance (with Convergence – The Global Network for Blended Finance, 14 participants)

  • Behavioral Sciences (with the University of the Andes, 30 participants)

  • Data Mining and Web Scraping (22 participants)

  • Train-the-Trainers (with the Chief Digital Office of UNDP, public speaking and facilitation skills, 20 participants)

  • Data for Policy (with the Chief Digital Office of UNDP, for government partners, 31 participants)

  • Solution Mapping (with HoneyBeeNetwork, with invited participants from the government, 35 participants)

 

Empowering Talent Across the Office

The AccLab's strategy in Colombia for capacity development has proven to be highly effective. We have implemented a practical, experimental, and participatory learning approach that integrates prototyping and experimentation. This approach has resulted in the development of new mindsets and essential skills to address the complex challenges of development, including systems thinking and design, the ability to learn from mistakes, and collaboration and knowledge sharing, both within UNDP and with external partners.

We have strengthened leadership capacity and talent generation through support and mentoring. From the AccLab, we not only design training programs but also guide and support colleagues in their learning processes by leading communities of practice. We recognize the importance of adapting capacity development efforts to the specific contexts and needs of each region, ensuring the relevance and applicability of the knowledge and skills developed. This holistic approach has trained over 200 colleagues, ensuring the sustainability and scalability of the generated knowledge and skills, significantly contributing to more sustainable development in Colombia.

 

a group of people sitting at a table

 

Solution Mapping, a Territorial Capacity for Sustainable Innovation

Solution mapping, a key methodology of the AccLab, prioritizes local knowledge to understand communities and identify sustainable solutions valuable to other communities or countries. We recognize that innovation is not only designed but often already exists within the communities, who possess deep knowledge of their opportunities, challenges and needs.

This collaborative process facilitates the identification, discussion, and validation of innovative solutions, sharing knowledge for the common good. It represents a paradigm shift: instead of imposing external solutions, we focus on understanding how communities already address their daily challenges. This “bottom-up” approach, based on empathy and humility, allows us to discover effective and sustainable responses to development challenges.

In Colombia, with over 90 annual projects and a broad territorial presence, we identified the need to expand knowledge of solution mapping. We collaborated for six months with HoneyBee Network (https://honeybee.org/ ) to design a 24-hour course (six sessions) taught by Professor Anil Gupta and Professor Anamika Dey. The course focuses on solution identification, incorporating the "three Is" promoted by the HoneyBee Network: Inspirational, Interesting, and Intriguing. We trained 30 colleagues, fostering a shift in mindset towards "grassroots solutions" and promoting an ethical commitment to communities.

Feedback from the course confirmed the importance of a mindset shift: incorporating local knowledge and solutions is fundamental to achieving more effective, profitable, and sustainable projects. The preparatory work of the AccLab was key in integrating this new approach into the country office teams.

 

The AccLab as a Driver of R&D for Accelerated Development

The AccLab in Colombia has strategically integrated itself within UNDP to drive innovation and capacity generation. Through experimentation and prototyping, we have accelerated the path to development, working closely with programmatic areas. This work has demonstrated recognized value to key colleagues in the country office and our allies (donors, government, and the broader ecosystem), contributing to greater strategic participation in relevant initiatives, redefining how we tackle development challenges (favoring the use of prototypes and experiments), exploring new knowledge beyond existing ones, and preventing work in "silos" by integrating our prototypes into programmatic or operational areas.

Now, the local and global team vision is to consolidate the AccLab as an R&D (Research and Development) unit within UNDP. By working alongside the country office and its programmatic areas, we will generate the necessary research inputs and develop the tools, designs, and scaling of grassroots solutions to accelerate the closing of gaps and the path toward more equitable and sustainable development. While it is essential to experiment with the team structure and financial sustainability to ensure the success of this ambitious long-term project, we are confident that the AccLab will continue to be a driver of change and innovation within UNDP Colombia, contributing to building a smarter and more resilient future.